Sunday, February 8, 2009

Forestry Farm Park

Yesterday afternoon , I spent 3rs walking the grounds of the Forestry Farm Park.I had some interesting observations and ended up with 15 species, but because of the overcast conditions I only took a couple of photos :

Evening Grosbeak - Four of these birds flew directly over me in full 'flight song'. Had I not seen the yellow, I might not have believed it myself, as they are so seldom seen in town these days. Great Horned Owl - I flushed a very large white individual from a stand of Jack Pines. I found it again later when I heard 4 Chickadees going ballistic.Common Redpoll - Given away by their call, I found at least 10 of these.White-breasted Nuthatch - 2 near the gardens.Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 in a tree next to the main office.White-throated Sparrow - 1 straggler also near the gardens lurking under some juniper.Dark-eyed Junco - 1 - Seen fleetingly ,right at the main entrance in some dense evergreen shrubs.American Robin - 5 over-wintering birds at the far south of the park, sheltering from the wind.Blue Jay - 1 at the south end of the parkBlack-billed Magpie - 7 in various areas.Common Raven - 1 near the wedding platform area.Black-capped Chickadee - 10+House Finch - A flock of 11 birds near the entrance.Hairy Woodpecker - 1 heard near the zoo office.House Sparrow - 5 or 6 chattering away in some bushes next to the mountain goat pen.

Also of note was this odd-looking Red Squirrel. It looks a lot like a cross-bred European-American Red Squirrel, with its ear tufts ,and different features such as its pinkish eyes. I found it sat in a tree very close to the pond :

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Seen any rare birds or animals lately ?If you are in the Saskatoon area, or anywhere in the Province for that matter, and have had anything unusual at your feeders, visiting your backyard, or perhaps something seen while on a drive or walk, I would love to hear from you.Email me here nikovich@gmail.com

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